Top Iranian generals warn America of terrorism

Reza Kahlili

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the author of the award-winning book, “A Time to Betray.” He teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy.

Two top generals of the Islamic Republic have warned the United States of coming terrorism, Fars News Agency reported Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, attacked U.S. policies in the region and warned, “America on the one hand arms al-Qaida (in the Syrian civil war) and on the other kills (al-Qaida) members. Such a double-standard policy will be divulged sooner or later, and the weapons in possession of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups will target the Americans.”

Jazayeri said evidence points to terrorist groups targeting America and certain European countries and said America’s counterterrorism policies will backfire. “The outlook of this dirty game by America and Zionists will be the terrorists playing the same with their godfathers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari, assailed America for helping certain groups to destabilize Iran and praised the Guards for standing up to the “world’s oppressor” with their faith in Islam.

Attending a ceremony for the Martyrs of the Guards, Jafari said, “If these (terrorist) puppet groups stand in front of America, they can conduct suicide attacks in the heart of America.”

Jafari criticized those who promote moderation in the nuclear negotiations with America and referred to the statement of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called America the “Great Satan.”

“Today America does not even dare to threaten us even verbally, and it’s unfortunate that some do not understand the value of this power and greatness and have forgotten all the plots (by America).” He said those plots include the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the uprising of millions of Iranians in the disputed 2009 elections and the economic pressure by America — all “to force Iran to surrender.”

President Hassan Rouhani, in an effort to ease tensions between Iran and America to remove some of the sanctions that are crushing the regime’s economy, has requested a moderation in tone from regime officials. At the same time, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president and an influential politician since the early days of the revolution, recently pushed for the removal of the “Death to America” slogan, which hardliners strongly opposed.

Several recent rallies by the hardliners in Tehran demanded Rouhani’s government provide specifics on the status of current negations over Iran’s nuclear program, chanting, “Optimism toward America, it’s betrayal, betrayal.”